All of Long Island elevated to a severe drought status after driest August in 17 years

All of Long Island has been upgraded to a severe drought status by federal monitors — a product of the driest August in 17 years, officials said.

The U.S. Drought Monitor put most of the downstate region, including Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties, along with all of New York City, in the elevated drought status in its newest map released Thursday. Previously, the North Shore of Long Island had been classified in a moderate drought status.

"Another week of below-normal rainfall, above-normal temperatures, low streamflow, and dry soils caused conditions to deteriorate in much of the northeast," the Drought Monitor said.

Jessica Spaccio, a climatologist with the Northeast Regional Climate Center, said the heat and recent dry weather on Long Island caused a significant drop in soil moisture — a key metric in severe drought. She urged residents to consider more conservation.

"It's definitely a good idea when you're in this type of situation to be aware of your water use," Spaccio said. "To just stop watering your lawn and be conscious of your water use."

Water systems overtaxed

The Suffolk County Water Authority declared a Stage 1 Water Emergency for the towns of East Hampton, Shelter Island, Southampton and Southold on Aug. 2 and been urging customers to stop all lawn watering from midnight to 7 a.m. — when irrigation usage is highest — and to reduce shower times to ensure there is sufficient water for firefighting and other emergency purposes.

The emergency will now be expanded to all of the Authority's 1.2 million customers, said Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Szabo.

"We still continue to see very high water consumption across SCWA’s service territory," Szabo said. "Our storage tanks on the East End are still drained in the early morning hours but not to the dangerously low levels we saw in July and early August."

While Suffolk has enough water in its aquifer, the pumping system to get water from wells and towers to homes and businesses — and fire hydrants — is being pushed to its limits as people try to keep their lawns green, officials said.

"Water systems across the region are overtaxed this time of year and still face the real risk of experiencing reduced pressure when usage is at its peak," said Long island Water Conference chairman Kevin Durk. 

Nassau’s sprinkler ordinance prohibits the irrigation of residential and commercial properties between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. while following an odd/even split for which days they can water their lawns. Enforcement of the ordinance, he said, is conducted by local police although most residents who violate receive only a warning.

The Port Washington Water District, which serves about 9,000 homes, assigns residents a two-hour window in which they can water their lawns. The district has also ramped up conservation efforts with an educational campaign and offers rebates for smart irrigation systems.

"The idea is, if you love Port, water less," said Port Washington Water Commissioner Mindy Germain. "The bottom line is that a more informed community will be a more resilient community."

Only .67 inches of rain fell in Islip last month, the fourth driest August on record and the driest since 2005 when just .27 inches of precipitation fell in the region, according to James Tomasini, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Upton.

And only modest relief is on the way with the forecast calling for a slight chance of rain Sunday, although showers are possible Monday and Tuesday.

"Scattered showers across the area," Tomasini said, "is not the best for drought relief."

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.